The Meeting
by Scuff
Summary: Let's say that out favorite superstar has anotherer life. This is my first fic so please tell me what you think. FINISHED!!! I don't own anything. I forgot to write that in some of the chapters. Thank you Tial for all your help. There will be a sequ
1. The Meeting

  
  
  
I don't own anything but myself. I have no rights over any Labyrinth stuff of David bowie stuff.  
  
  
Jereth leaned back in his cushy office chair and propped his feet up on his desk. Since he had lost to Sarah, he had left the  
kingdom and made a new life. He found that if he changed his name and appearance, he could be anyone he wished. He  
preferred using the alias 'David Bowie' to all others he had used. This way he could still make music and get money for doing it.  
Oh he had made several check ups on his kingdom over the years, just to make sure everything was running smoothly but he  
spent most of his time writing music in this world.  
He smiled. The meeting was today. It had been quite a surprise when he found out that she would come to him. It also made it  
easier. He didn't have to break character and go to find her. He wondered what she would be like now. He had considered  
looking for her in years past but big stars didn't go looking for people. People came to him...and she was. It would be nice to  
talk with her again.  
The little phone on his desk beeped at him. He pressed the flashing red button.  
"Yes?"  
"There is a Sarah Williams here to see you Mr. Bowie," The female voice of his secretary answered him.  
He smiled again.  
"Send her in please Jean."  
A few minutes later the door opened and a hesitant Sarah stepped through the door. She was blushing and had a small notepad  
in her hand.  
Jereth stood and offered his hand. "Ms. Williams."  
She stepped forward and shook his head. "Mr. Bowie. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm a fan of your music."  
He pointed to a chair and she seated herself then he sat down himself.  
"Are you now. That's always good to hear. Is there anything I can do for you Ms. Williams?"  
Sarah put her notepad in her lap and smiled shyly. She had changed since he had last seen her.  
"I'm writing a fantasy novel and I am basing a character on you. I was hoping for an interveiw?"  
Jereth raised an eyebrow in interest. "What is the book about?"  
Sarah tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear.  
"It's about a young girl who was called into a huge maze-"  
"A labyrinth?" he asked grinning.  
Sarah nodded, smiling proudly. "Yes. And there is a king who rules over the labyrinth. That's the character I'm basing on you."  
"What is this characters name?"  
"Jereth. I picture him as looking a little like you and he has your voice. Um...will you agree to the interview?"  
Jereth grinned and nodded. "One more question first?"  
Sarah smiled shyly and nodded.  
"Where did you get the inspiration for this novel?'  
Sarah cleared her throat. "We'll about six of seven years ago, I had this weird dream where I was pulled into a labyrinth by a  
goblin king. He had taken my brother and I had thriteen hours to get him back. I tried to forget it but I still re-live parts in my  
sleep. I've decided that, since it is so interesting, I will make it into a book. Who knows? Maybe I'll make a movie about it one  
day. But one step at a time right?"  
Jereth nodded. "Right. Alright. I'm ready for the interview if you wish to start."  
Sarah took a pen out of her jacket pocket and flipped the cardboard cover of the notepad open.  
"Alrighty. Let's begin then."  
Jereth smiled. "Yes..."  
  



	2. The Interview

The Meeting: Chapter Two  
I still don't own anything. Labyrinth and David Bowie...and everything else is NOT mine...but I wish it was.  
  
Sara cleared her throat. "What is your favorite food?"  
Jereth thought for a moment. "Pizza."  
She looked amused and smiled.  
"Favorite drink?"  
"Cola."  
"Clothing company?"  
"I don't have one at the moment."  
"I see. Music type?"  
Jereth smiled. "I love the 80's."  
Sara seemed pleased as she scribbled down the information.  
"Please describe a perfect world through your eyes?"  
He thought for a moment before grinning.  
"The perfect world would be one filled with magic and I would rule over it, of course. The only logic would be my logic. There  
would be all sorts of fantasy-type people that would live in little settlements and I would have a big castle to live in. It would be  
in the middle of my world so that I could look over it. In short, it would revolve around me."  
Sarah was grinning by the time he was done as she scribbled down his words.  
Jereth grinned at the situation. This was working out better than he had hoped.  
"Is that all Ms. Williams?"  
Sarah turned a dark pink-ish color and studied her notebook.  
"Um...What kind of things do you like to do on a date?"  
Jereth scratched at his chin, trying to hide his huge smile.  
"I like to eat quiet dinners and go on long walks afterwards."  
"And what might you be doing tomorrow?"  
Jereth grinned and leaned back in his chair.  
"Now Ms. Williams. If I was conceded in myself I would think you are asking me out on a date. Are you?"  
Sara blushed again. "Think of it as more of an after business get together."  
Jereth smiled. This would work out wonderfully.  
"What time should I pick you up for this get together?" he asked with a triumphant grin.  



	3. The Date

Don't own stuff...yada yada yada...ON WITH THE SHOW!  
  
Jareth picked Sarah up at six o'clock the following night on his silver sports motorcycle. He had brought an extra helmet and had told Sarah to wear pants because being on a motorcycle in a dress was no fun at all. They went out for pizza and had coke floats for dessert.  
Hours later, after a walk through the park followed by more ice cream, they stood in front of Sarah apartment.  
Sarah smiled up at him. "I had a wonderful time David." (She had stopped calling him Mr. Bowie halfway though the evening.)  
He bowed his head slightly and ran a hand though his short fluffy blond hair.  
"It was my pleasure Sarah." (He had started calling her Sarah when he had picked her up.)  
She pointed a thumb at her apartment door. "Do you want to come in for some coffee?"  
He nodded and followed her up the stairs.  
Her apartment was small but she had arranged the furniture in such a way to give the illusion of lots of space. When one entered they stood in the living room which had two white leather couches and a T.V. in the corner. A square coffee table sat in the middle of the room, within reach from either couch. To the left of the doorway was a kitchen which consisted of a sink, stove and microwave with a small fridge shoved in the corner. There was a doorway to the right of the entrance that looked like it might go to the bedroom or the bathroom.  
Sarah walked into the kitchen and told him to have a seat on the couch. He did and continued to look around the room. He grinned at a familiar picture hanging on her wall. It was Escher's Relativity. A picture he had used to help him build his castle. He lost himself in the mixture of stairways and doors that led to no where.  
"I bought that shortly after I moved in here."  
He blinked a few times, then looked at Sarah.  
"Excuse me? I'm sorry. I was thinking."  
Sarah set down the tray with coffee and cookies on it. "I got that off the internet when I first moved it. It reminds me of Jareth's castle."  
Jareth smiled and poured two cups of coffee.  
"You speak of this jareth as if he were a real person."  
Sarah sipped at her coffee. "In a way I guess he is. He's like that memory that comes out of no where and surprises you then is gone just as quickly. My psychiatrist says that Jareth is a symbol of my fears."  
Jareth sat back and gulped his coffee. She had gone to a psychiatrist? He didn't think the impact he had had on her was that bad. A symbol of her fears? What a quack! How dare the flea brained, uneducated-"  
"David?"  
Jareth snapped his head up. "Hmm?"  
"You looked like you were lost or something. Are you ok?"  
Jareth nodded. "I'm fine. I was just thinking. Since you are basing the Jareth guy on me, why not call me Jareth? It might make it easier."  
Sarah shook her head and munched on a cookie, spilling crumbs into her coffee cup.  
"I couldn't do that."  
Jareth set down his coffee. "Why?"  
She cleared her throat. "Because you are a nice guy. Jareth is cruel. He scares me."  
Jareth sat stunned on the couch. He hadn't been that bad...had he?  
"It was only a dream, I know that, but it seemed so real. I was under a lot of stress I guess and it was just a bad dream. I know it was a dream."  
She shifted on the couch. "At the end of my dream, I had a party with some friends but when I woke up the next morning, there was nothing left to say I had done anything but sleep. I had been a dream."  
Jareth nodded. "How very strange. But if you call me Jareth...then you might see another side to this character of yours. Perhaps he is not as bad as he seems to be?"  
Sarah shook her head and laughed. "No. He's cruel. I know it. But...if it will help you to be more relaxed during the interviews then I'll call you by that name."  
Jareth smiled. "There will be more interviews?"  
Sarah nodded. "And more after business get togethers too...if you don't mind."  
Jareth grinned. "Don't mind at all Sarah. Not at all."  



	4. The Close Call

I want to thank My friend Tial for helping me with this one. Also...can any of you figure out why Jareth's phone # is sooo cool? If so, put it in your review! Oh yeah...and I still don't own anything...(sniffle)  
  
  
  
  
  
After he had left later that evening, Sarah sat down at her computer to enter some of the information she had found out about him. Her fingers moved quickly across the keys, but she didn't see the monitor. Jareth's pale face filled her vision, his mismatched eyes which were always so cold and hard, his electrocuted hair, hi lips, always turned in a mocking smile. Well, not quite. He hadn't been mocking when he'd danced with her, and his eyes for once hadn't been cold.  
This is ridiculous, she thought, shaking her head. She finished typing the information, then shut off the computer, taking slow breaths.  
"This is ridiculous, you're not real, go away. I spent several thousand dollars having people help convince myself that you're not real. You haven't bothered me for so long, why now?" she asked, standing and pacing in her small living room. Visions of the Labyrinth swirled through her head, fighting each other for her notice.  
She quickly walked into the bathroom and began to look through the medicine cabinet for something to calm her nerves, something she hadn't needed for a long time. She had just grabbed the bottle and was attempting the impossible by trying to open the child safety lid when there was a knock at the door.  
With a frustrated sigh, she walked towards the door, the bottle forgotten in her hand.  
Jareth was halfway home when he remembered that he had wanted to giver her his cell phone number. He reached for his phone, while keeping an eye on the empty freeway, and found he had left it...at her house. He sighed but cheered up instantly. This gave him an excuse to go back and visit some more. He could go back and knock on her door and...but what if she was asleep?  
He thought about this as he took the next off ramp an got back on the freeway, heading towards her house. Well he was a king, and a rock star to top that, so that gave him the permission to drag people from there beds at ungodly hours of the night didn't it? He had at least earned that much with all this work.  
He parked his bike outside her apartment and ran up the stairs. He held up his hand to knock, then stopped. He probably looked like crap. He ran his hands through his hair and straightened his clothes before knocking on her door. Perhaps she would be in some night clothes. Wouldn't that be interesting?  
A smirk spread across his face as her door opened.  
Sarah looked at the figure standing at her door, and all she saw was Jareth. Backing away, she shook her head, quietly murmuring no.  
"You're not real, you're not real. Do you know how much money I spent having people convince me that you weren't real? I believed them too, so why are you here?" she whispered, backing away until her legs bumped into the back of the couch.  
Jareth's heart took a vacation to his stomach and, after swimming a few laps there, lodged it's self in his throat. She knew? No. She couldn't. He had woven a spell around himself before he came here. She couldn't know...could she. His mind raced for an answer and then he saw the bottle in her hand. He had had such an impact that she had to take medication? Perhaps he should have been a little less dramatic...but that was beside the point right now. Right now Sarah was breathing so fast he thought she might pass out at his feet. Her shaking couldn't be doing any good either. He had to calm her down.  
He took a step into her apartment and closed the door. No need to cause a scene to the world. He turned back to her and began to slowly walk towards her.  
"Sarah. Calm down. It's me, David." Lord how he hated that name. "It's ok. Just breath. I'm not Jareth. It's ok. He isn't real." He would kick himself for saying this later. "Just breath. You're going to pass out."  
Sarah managed to sit somewhat ungracefully on the couch and slowly tried to regulate her breathing.  
"I-I'm sorry. I guess I've been stressing myself too much for a while and it's taking its toll. Um, why did you come back?" Sarah asked, belatedly hiding the bottle of pills behind her.  
Jareth closed his eyes and sighed while his heart re-settled. He looked back up at her and found his breath somehow gotten stuck in his throat.  
He stared at her wide eyes. She was dressed in a light blue spaghetti strap shirt that ended just above her stomach and a pair of faded fuzzy green sweatpants. Suddenly he wondered if perhaps he should giver her his address as well as his cell phone number.  
"I...uh. I wanted to...I mean my phone. I left it and...I thought I would give you my number just in case you...uh...wanted to contact me."  
"That would be great, I'll go grab a pen and paper while you look around for your cell phone," Sarah said, her breathing slowly calming down. She stood and found it hard to keep her breathing even again. She hadn't noticed how close David was until she stood and found herself nearly touching his chest.  
David cleared his throat and glanced around the room, looking for his phone. "Uh, yes. Yes that would be great."  
He lifted the cushions on the couch and found his bright yellow phone comfortably nestled in a corner.  
"Found it."  
Jareth tucked his phone back into his jacket and cleared his throat. "Ok then. My number is 412-2942. Call me anytime."  
He stepped towards the door and stopped.  
"Are you all right Sarah?" he asked in his high and noble voice.  
No. "I'll be fine, I just need some sleep," Sarah replied, giving him a half hearted smile.  
Jareth stared down at her. "Your sure. Is something bothering you?"  
She thought for a moment, then looked up at him quickly, alarm in her eyes. "I never said that you looked like Jareth, I just said that you weren't real, how did you know who I was talking about?" she asked quietly, staring at him. Jareth paled and cleared his throat. "You said yourself that I looked like him." He stepped closer to her. "And you seem afraid of him. It only made sense."  
Doubt was still evident in her eyes as she shook his head. "There's still something strange," she muttered.  
Jareth gave a little laugh while his brain was straining to think of a way to keep his true identity hidden from her. She couldn't find out now. She would hate him. He just needed more time.  
"Oh come now Sarah. Please don't look at me like that. Your eyes are so cruel-" He stopped shortly and had to force himself not to slap his hand against his forehead.  
"Just as I can be so cruel," Sarah barely whispered.  
Jareth swallowed hard, trying to think of what he could say. He gave her a shaky smile. "That might make a good lyric. I'll bet I can come up with a great song with that."  
Jareth relaxed a little. Perhaps he could pull this off. He would tell her...he really would...someday. He pulled his mind back to the present.  
He stepped closer to her and brushed her cheek with his fingers.  
"I think you drank too much coffee," he said lightly.  
Maybe she really was going crazy, she thought, chiding herself on letting anyone see her when she was this shaken.  
"I'm very sorry, I guess it must have been way too much coffee," she mumbled, giving him a lopsided smile that slowly faded when he didn't remove his hand from her cheek.  
Jareth began to breath easy. Good. That wasn't too hard. Now to get her to bed before she broke from all the strain.  
"Come on Sarah," he said putting an arm over her shoulders. "Let's get you to bed."  
"I can make it to bed without help," she murmured, her cheeks turning a slight pink.  
Jareth smiled. "On a regular basis I'm sure you could but at the moment I'm afraid you might shatter like crystal. Let's just get you to bed. I'm concerned about you. Our first date and already I have you in hysterics. Perhaps I should take tomorrow off and come and see you?"  
He grinned. Like he actually worked at his office.  
Sarah laughed shakily. "If you have nothing better to do tomorrow, your welcome here. Hopefully I'll have pulled myself together by then," she murmured, thinking about what he had said about her being a crystal.  
Jareth grinned and ushered her into her bedroom. "Well I'm going to be sleeping in tomorrow so I'm not going to invite you to breakfast. How does lunch sound?"  
"Sounds wonderful," Sarah said, looking around and realizing they were in her bedroom. She began to push David out of her bedroom.  
"I can make it from here, besides, I need to lock up after you."  
Jareth laughed as he was shoved towards the door. "Ok. Fine. I'll see you tomorrow then. But don't I even get a hug for being such an interesting date?"  
Sarah smiled shyly as he wrapped his arms around her. She was enjoying his hug until a picture of Jareth dancing with her in his arms came into her mind, even though she tried to get rid of it.  
Jareth grinned and stepped back.  
"Much better. Well, until tomorrow then my lady."  
He adjusted the collar of his jacket, gave her a wink and a wicked smirk before heading down to his bike.  
Sarah closed and locked the door, humming as she did so. As she walked back into the bedroom she realized what she was humming and stopped herself before "love without your heartbeat."  
"Jareth doesn't exist," she muttered, climbing into bed. Try though she might, visions of the Goblin King flitted through her dreams.  



	5. The Truth

The Truth  
  
Sadly...I still own nothing. Boo hoo. Thanks Tial for all your help.  
  
  
  
  
Jareth had slept peacefully and had woken up with just enough time to get ready before speeding off to Sarah's house. He wondered what she was going to be wearing this time. Her pajamas had been nice but he doubted that that's what she would wear to lunch. He was dressed in a white shirt with tight black pants and motorcycle boots to match his black leather jacket. (In which his phone was nestled. He be damned if he left it behind again.) His fluffy hair was uncovered and he had a pair of dark sports sunglasses stuck on his face. All in all he thought he looked pretty damn good. He was amazed at what a man could accomplish with out makeup.  
He walked up to Sarah's door, checked himself over, and knocked.  
The door jerked open and a disheveled looking Sarah looked out. Her eyes widened when she saw Jareth.  
"Oh no, what time is it?" she asked in a panicked voice, stepping aside so Jareth could step in.  
Jareth chuckled and took off his glasses, looking at her with his mismatched eyes. Why what a welcome surprise. She was still in her pajamas. How nice."  
"Why good morning Sarah. Sleep well?"  
No, she thought. "Yes, I slept all right. Give me fifteen minutes, please and then I'll be ready."  
Jareth tucked his glasses away next his phone and smiled at her. "Oh take your time. I can wait."  
Sarah smiled at him before dashing to her bedroom and shutting the door. After fifteen minutes Sarah opened the door and walked into the living room, wearing a black spaghetti strap and denim capris.  
"I'm ready to go, sorry that I kept you waiting."  
Jareth let his eyes skim over her. Not as good as the pajamas but...nice. "Oh it was worth the wait. I know this place that has good music where we can go for lunch, unless you have plans."  
"I'll go wherever," Sarah said with a smile, grabbing her purse.  
They walked out to his bike and he handed her a helmet. He took her purse and put it in the side bags and then sat on the bike. She sat behind him and wrapped her arms around his waits. He could have taken any of his many cars, or even taken a limosein, but he liked this better.  
"It's quite a ways from here so get comfortable."  
Sarah nodded after putting on the helmet and settled herself against his back, still slightly drowsy.  
Jareth took started up his bike and they were soon zooming along on the freeway. He couldn't wait to show Sarah his little club. He had named it The Underground. Perhaps he could tell her who he was there. He could sing her a song. Yes. That would be nice. He felt her head fall to his shoulder. He took one hand off the handlebars and held her hands to his stomach so she wouldn't fall off. He quickly spun a balance spell over her so that even if he slipped, she wouldn't.  
He pulled his bike into his private parking spot and turned off the motor. He looked back over his shoulder and smiled. She was still sleeping. He rubbed at her hands.  
"Sarah. Sarah, we're here."  
She opened her eyes and sleepily blinked at him, smiling sheepishly as she took of the helmet.  
"Where is here?"  
Jareth smiled and took the helmet from her. "My club. I started it up a few years ago. Good food too. Nice music. All that jazz."  
"Sounds great-" Sarah stopped as she saw the title. The Underground.  
Jareth noticed her discomfort and tried to shrug it off.  
"We can leave the helmets here. No one will take them."  
Sarah nodded, not quite hearing him. The Underground, the realm of Jareth, the Goblin King. If there was anything that even vaguely resembled a labyrinth in there, she didn't think she'd be able to take it.  
Jareth looked worriedly at her. Maybe this wasn't the best time to take her here.  
"Are you all right? We could go back to your place and you could sleep some more. I don't mind."  
Sarah gave him what she hoped was a charming smile. "Don't be silly, I can't wait to see your club."  
He grinned and took her arm. "I hope you like music. There's a lot of it in there."  
He guided her down a spiral staircase and through a stone archway. A huge man with a tight fitting black shirt and loose jeans smiled at Jareth and opened the heavy wooden double door for him and Sarah. Jareth nodded his thanks and entered his club.  
The floors were the best part. It was a huge maze. If you took off all the table and looked around at it you could solve it...although it would take a while. There was a bar shoved into one corner and a danc efloor made of white marble in front of a low stage where live music was sometimes performed. He waved his arm around at the room.  
"Were would you like to sit my lady Sarah?"  
"Anywhere would be fine," Sarah murmured, her eyes tracing the familiar pattern on the floor. She knew exactly which way to get to the center of the labyrinth, it was the same pattern as the one she had dreamed seven years earlier.  
He led her to a table in the corner of the room. He pulled out a chair for her and then leaned on the table, smiling at her.  
"So Sarah. What will it be?"  
She finally pulled her eyes away from the maze and looked up at David. "What's good here?"  
He smiled and ran his finger tip from her wrist to the end of her fingers. "Everything is good. We can make anything your heart desires. Just name it."  
"In that case, I'll take a club sandwich and a coke," she said with a smile.  
Jareth dashed off and came back a few minutes later carrying two plates on his arm and two mugs in his hand. He set down a club sandwich in front of her and a heaping plate of spaghetti in front of himself. He set down her coke...and his...and smiled.  
"Well, chow down."  
Sarah smiled and lifted her glass. "To you."  
Jareth smirked and raised his eyebrow. He raised his glass and touched it to hers. "How about to us? To finding out all about each other?"  
"All right, to us."  
Jareth grinned and gulped down half his soda.  
"So," he said after a mouthful of pasta. "What does Jareth wear? Anything fashionable?"  
"Actually, what I remember him wearing was probably one of the more frightening things about him. He wore these pants that were tight enough to be painted on and this huge flowing shirt, almost like a fencers. His hair I'm sorry to admit looked like a startled dandelion and if I remember rightly, he always had this cloud of glitter floating about him," Sarah said with a smile.  
Jareth frowned. He didn't dress all that bad. It came with the part. "Sounds interesting. Will I get to model for you book?"  
Sarah misunderstood his frown. "Don't worry, I know the clothing sounds bad, so I won't make you try it on."  
Jareth hid his grimace with a mouthful of food. He could do without the glitter. He would even let the shirt and pants go...but not his hair! He liked his hair!  
"Of course, if you let your hair grow for a little while, it could probably pass as Jareth's," Sarah said with a slightly chuckle, running her fingers through his hair.  
Jareth shuddered slightly. Oh what a lovely feeling. "I could do that."  
"Although, I don't have the slightest idea how you'd get it to stand straight up," Sarah mused, finishing the last of her coke.  
Jareth laughed. "Oh you'd be surprised what a blow drier can do."  
"I'll have to trust you on that," Sarah replied, looking at the dance floor, where the ceiling and walls all curved ever so slightly, giving the illusion of the inside of a bubble.  
Jareth nodded slightly and took a deep breath. "Well. Time for dessert."  
He stood and came back a moment later with two bowls of ice-cream. He set one down in front of Sarah and helped himself to his own bowl. He sat down and smiled across the table at her.  
"Peach ice cream. My favorite."  
"I'll pass thank you, I'm allergic to peaches," Sarah murmured. At least she had been ever since she ate the one Jareth had given her.  
Jareth frowned. "I'm sorry. Would you like something else perhaps?"  
"No thank you, I'm fine," Sarah replied with a smile.  
Jareth looked around his club. A few other groups of people had come in and were talking quietly at their tables. Slow day. He smiled and Magically started up the musicbox that sat next to the bar. A slow song began to play and his smiled turned into a grin. If only he could get her to relax then perhaps he could tell her who he really was.  
He looked across the table at her and stood, not breaking eye contact.  
"May I please have this dance m'lady?"  
"Well, I'm not exactly dressed for dancing, but I would love to," Sarah said, smiling as she stood and slipped her hand into his.  
Jareth lead her out onto the floor and a few other couples followed his lead. He rested his hands on Sarah's waist and put his mouth next to her ear.  
"So tell me Sarah," he said after a few minutes. "What about this Jareth character scares you?"  
Sarah shuddered slightly. "He's so cruel. He kidnapped my brother..."  
He wouldn't have hurt the child.  
"He tried to hurt me and my friends..."  
He had never...but she was scared. He could see how it might look like that.  
"He even tried to seduce me so he could keep my brother. He's terrible."  
He hadn't been trying to seduce her so he could keep her brother...he had had his own reasons for that. It had just been a game.  
She shook her head. "But this is silly. He's not real."  
Like hell he wasn't.  
"Sarah? If he was real, what would you say to him?"  
"I would tell him to go and not bother me. I would tell him again that he has no power over me and never will," she murmured, unconsciously moving closer to Jareth.  
Jareth shuddered, but not because of her closeness. Oh how he hated those words. Those simple words that had turned his well balanced live upside down. He sighed and tried to think of what to do, humming to himself to try and soothe his frayed nerves. He had thought this would work out so well. What was he going to do? Sooner or later she would find out...and then what?  
Sarah stopped dancing and looked at Jareth, watching him with horror as he hummed "As the World Falls Down."  
He looked at her confused.  
"What's wrong Sarah?"  
"You're humming what he sang to me when we danced," she whispered, looking into his mismatched eyes.  
Jareth stared at her in shock. How was he going to explain this? He cleared his throat and began to walk off the dance floor, the song not even half over.  
"May I please speak with you for a moment Sarah?"  
"Of course," Sarah said softly, following him as she wondered about his humming.  
He lead her through a door and into a dark room. He clapped his hands and the lights turned on. A black wood desk was in the middle of the room. A stereo system was against the far wall and a computer was on a small table next to the desk. A thrown sat behind the desk. Behind the thrown was a bookshelf jammed full of books.  
Jareth leaned up against the desk and motioned for Sarah to sit down.  
"Sarah. What do you think of me? As a person I mean? Am I good or bad?"  
"Well, I hardly know you at all, but I'd say you're good as far as I know you," Sarah said, confused.  
Jareth ran his slender fingers over his face. "Sarah. I'm afraid we've known each other longer than you think."  
Sarah looked at him, her face full of confusion. "What are you talking about?"  
Jareth took a deep breath and looked up at her. "Sarah. Your not crazy. It was all real. It wasn't a dream. Jareth is real...I'm real Sarah."  
No, no it wasn't real. It was just a dream. Jareth isn't real, you're real, but you aren't Jareth, you're David Bowie," Sarah said, leaning against the desk for support.  
Jareth's image simmered for a moment and his vision spell dropped. He looked at her, praying she wouldn't scream and try to run. The door was locked but it would be much easier to speak with her if she was calm. He sat and watched her, his looks back to the way they had been 7 years ago when she had left...minus the pants, shirt and glitter...but the hair was the same.  
Sarah's eyes widened and her mouth moved soundlessly. A soft moan finally escaped her lips and she sank down to her knees. "No, no, no," she whispered to herself, not looking up at him.  
He quickly knelt down next to her and put a hand to her shoulder. "I can explain if you will give me the chance..."  
She cringed away from his touch and looked up at him, tears streaking her mascara. "Why are you here, you're supposed to be in your own realm stealing children from stupid people like me for a hobby."  
Jareth frowned at her. "I don't steal children...I take them when they aren't wanted."  
"I was angry and confused I didn't want you to take Toby," Sarah protested.  
Jareth caught himself before he blurted out ' Oh you didn't?' He didn't want to tease her.  
"As I said before. What's said is said. You said something and I did it. But that's not the point right now. Look, why don't you have a seat and I'll make some tea or something to help calm you. You look as if you're going to break," he said moving closer.  
"Don't touch me," Sarah said, climbing into the chair and drawing her knees to her chest, her eyes slightly unfocused.  
Jareth tried not to cringe at the fear in her voice. He created another crystal and set it on the desk. After a moment a steaming cup of tea sat in it's place. He picked up the cup and held it out to Sarah.  
"I know you must be pretty confused. I think I should explain everything."  
"I don't want any tea, I remember what happened when I accepted a peach from you, so I'd rather not."  
He sighed and knelt down in front of her, still holding the tea. "It's just tea Sarah. I haven't done anything to it. It will help calm you. You don't have your pills with you now."  
"If it has any chance of calming me, there'll be something in it," she said, shaking her head.  
"Fine then," he murmured, taking a sip of the tea himself and putting it on the desk.  
"I came here just a few weeks after you left. Ruling wasn't fun any more. When you left the challenge was gone. I came here to find you...but I couldn't. I began to make music and the people here liked it, so I continued. Then one day a thought came to me. I thought that if I get good enough you would come back to see me."  
"I would have stayed far away and kept my brother and myself from listening to your music if I had known who you were," Sarah said, feeling the room spin as all the psychiatrists advice and his assurance that Jareth wasn't real came crashing down.  
He ran a hand through his hair. "I realized that if you found out who I was I wouldn't have a chance at seeing you again...so I put a spell on myself and my songs...to draw you to me. When you came into my office I decided see how you had changed. Once I spent some time around you I couldn't let you go again. Then I realized that you would have to find out who I was sooner or later, so I brought you here. I must admit, your taking this much better than I thought you would."  
He sighed, stood, and took another long sip of the cooled tea.  
"How the hell did you think I would take this?" Sarah asked in a high voice, looking down at her shaking hands.  
He leaned against his desk, his eyes focused sadly on her trembling figure.  
"Well, when I first came I thought you might gloat over my lose, then I thought, after spending time with you, that you might hit me."  
Sarah contemplated that suggestion for a moment, then decided she probably wasn't able to stand much less convince her muscles to work together to actually hit him without missing.  
He cleared his throat. "Sarah? Would you give me a chance to prove to you that I'm actually a nice guy?"  
"You're not nice though, you steal children and you kept doing things to make it harder to get through the labyrinth."  
He straightened. "I did what you wished me to do."  
"I never said I wanted you to throw me in an oubliette, or take away a few hours of my time, or anything," Sarah muttered.  
"I didn't throw you there. You fell. I sent Hoggle to get you out. You said my Labyrinth was easy...so I made it a little more challenging. I did only what you asked me to. You wanted me to play the villain. That's how you saw me. So I did. Did I do a good job Sarah? I know I did. I know I scared you."  
He knelt by the side of her chair and lightly rested his hand on hers.   
"Just let me try and play the charming hero? Please? If I'm no good at it then I'll go away forever. You'll never see me again. I promise."  
"You'll go away and leave me alone? What do I have to do?"  
"Come back with me? Just for a little while?"  
"Go back Underground? To the labyrinth?" she asked in a whisper.  
His hand tightened on hers. "It will be much different than your last trip. No dangers. No tricks."  
"Your word?" Sarah asked softly, looking him in the eye.  
He smiled softly and raised her hand to his lips. He kissed the back of it, still smiling.  
"My word and my honor m'lady."  
Sarah sighed. "I'll go, as long as I can bring a camera."  
He looked confused. "You can of course but...why?"  
"Maybe a few pictures will help convince the psychiatrist that I really wasn't a basket case."  



	6. The Return

They went back to her apartment to get her things. She didn't invite him inside so he waited just outside her door. He had , as Sarah said, 'zapped' his bike into it's parking spot at his house. He was all set. All he needed was Sarah. He had told her not to bring clothing. (He had things for her.) What was taking so long?  
Sarah came out in a few minutes, a backpack slung over her shoulder.  
"Ready," she murmured, staring at his hair, which looked normal once more due to the spell.  
He nodded and held out his hand to her.  
Sarah looked at his hand for a long moment, before finally gingerly laying her hand on his.  
He smiled and the world swam. When the world finally found it's place again they were standing outside his castle. He pointed to the door with his free hand.  
"My phone number doesn't work here. You'll have to yell," he said with a smirk.  
Sarah pulled her hand from his and looked at the huge castle, remember well the last time she had been here.  
A high pitched voice jerked her out of her thoughts. "Halt! Who goes there?"  
Sir Didymus trotted out of his faithful...dog...and barked. "The King will get you for trespassing!"  
A wide grin split Sarah's face. "Sir Didymus! Don't you remember me?" she asked, leaning down and patting Ambrosius' head.  
Didymus peered at her for a moment before yipping with excitement. "Sarah? Is that you? Then who is this man your with? The King will be jealous he will."  
"That is Jareth."  
Jareth laughed and let his vision spell fall. "Well done Sir Knight. Let us pass?"  
Sir Didymus sputtered for a moment before screeching that the doors should open for the King. As Jareth passed him he gave a bow.  
"Welcome back your highness."  
"Where's Ludo, and Hoggle?" Sarah asked, not moving into the castle.  
Didymus began to slowly follow his King. "Ludo guards our lords gardens and Hoggle takes care of the interior of the castle Lady Sarah."  
"I thought Hoggle was terrified of Jareth and his punishments?" Sarah asked.  
Didymus looked at Jareth who was quite some way's ahead of them.  
"All has changed since you left Lady Sarah," he whispered.  
Didymus nodded and nudged Ambrosius into a trot to catch up with Jareth.  
They had entered a huge room with tilled floors and a grand staircase heading up to three other floors. The castle had changed too. Jareth stopped and stood, watching Sarah as she caught up to him.  
"May I show you your room Sarah?" he asked in a smooth voice.  
She paused for a moment before answering, looking around at the castle. "All right," she murmured after a few minutes.  
He led up the stairs to the third floor and turned left, going down the long hall. He reached a set of double door and opened them for her, stepping aside so she could enter.  
Her eyes opened as she looked at the huge room. A large, four poster bed lay in the center, the sheets a midnight blue satin. A large window overlooked the gardens and several bookshelves were filled with leather bound novels. Several dark blue chairs lay scattered around the room and a wardrobe stood in one corner.  
Jareth stepped up behind her. "Is it to you liking?" he asked quietly in her ear.  
"It's very nice," Sarah murmured, walking into the room away from him. She set her backpack on the edge of the bed and looked out the window.  
Jareth walked in behind her and closed the doors. pointed to the wall on the left then stopped. He frowned and created a crystal, then threw it at the wall. Where it hit, a door appeared and he looked back to Sarah.  
"That's the bathroom. Sorry. I had forgotten to put a door there."  
Sarah looked from the door back to Jareth with slightly wide eyes. "Oh. How long has it been since you've been here?"  
He thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. I remember making the rooms first and then the doors. I guess I just forgot one."  
Sarah looked at him, confused. "I meant how long has it been since you've been back here to the Underground?"  
He felt his cheeks heat slightly. "Ah well...yes. I check in ever so often. I haven't been here in a few weeks but things seem to be doing just fine without me don't they?"  
"Yes, but I figured you must have stuff to look into if you've been away. So you can go see to it while I look around," Sarah said, smiling as she saw Ludo down in the gardens.  
Jareth raised an eyebrow. He could take a hint. "Very well. Will you join me for dinner or do I dine alone tonight?"  
She would love for him to dine alone, but she didn't think that would make him at all happy and maybe if she kept him happy, she stood a chance of getting out of this place as soon as possible.  
"I'll dine with you, what time?"  
Jareth seemed to glow. "At sundown. Please be ready. I'll send a servant for you."  
He gave her a low, graceful bow and walked from the room.  
"Sorry, wrong room," Sarah said quickly, shutting the door and walking to the next door.  
This room had short bunkbeds lining the walls and a few trunks shoved underneath.  
It was huge. Two times the size of her room. A canopy bed with black and cream covers was up against one wall Cream colored pillows were propped up against the headboard. The middle of the room was left bare. Thick cream colored carpet covered the floor. Against one wall was a bookshelf jammed full with books. Next to the shelf was a large black leather chair, that looked very comfortable. A footrest sat at the bottom of the chair and a stack of books sat to the side. Strange pictures were hung on the walls in simple wooden frames. She looked at one that looked like a staircase that was forever going up. She couldn't help but smile. The goblin king had escher pictures all over his room.  
There were two doors on one wall and one on the same wall as the bookshelf. She opened one of the doors on the bare wall to find a sunken bathtub, black marble sink, vanity mirror, and of course, a toilet. She smiled again. There was a little rubber ducky sitting next to the tub. She opened the next door to find a walk in closet stuffed with hundreds of different outfits. Not wanting to suffer through the goblin kings fashion, she opened the door on the same wall as the bookshelf and found an office. Strangely enough it looked just like the office in his club. Go figure.  
She heard footsteps outside the main door of the bedroom and quickly went into the office, shutting the door behind her. She didn't know if Jareth would be angry at her intrusion, but she didn't want to take any chances. Looking around, she spotted another door and dashed through it as she heard footsteps coming closer to the office.  
Sarah felt herself falling and managed to catch onto a ledge, her eyes wide. She tried to pull herself onto the ledge, but suddenly found herself lying on the bottom of it, overlooking the Escher room. She groaned and lay on the ledge for a moment, waiting for her heart rate to drop back to normal. After a few minutes, she stood and headed for the nearest door, hoping she would be able to find her way out without Jareth's help.  
After ten minutes, she sat down, extremely frustrated.  
"Jareth!" she shouted, looking around and wondering what door he would come out of.  
"Why Sarah? How did you get in here?" his voice asked as it echoed through the room, not telling her where he was.  
"I know of very few doors that lead here. I got rid of most of them. You must have found another. Good job Sarah," he said, still not revealing his location.  
"Could you please just get me out of here?" Sarah asked, looking at the underside of the ledge to see if he was there.  
His voice came from right behind her. "There is only one way into this room Sarah. I made sure of that. This room is mine. No one else ever comes here. So tell me again girl, how did you get here?"  
Sarah turned around and found Jareth kneeling beside her. "Like you said before, I must have found another door. Now, if you won't help me, I'll just try and find that door again," she said, standing and walking away from him.  
"Do you remember what happened here?" he asked looking down at her from across the huge room.  
"Yes, I chased Toby while you mocked me," Sarah muttered angrily, jumping at a ledge and finding herself clinging to the edge of the circular pit in the middle of the floor. She had seen it last time she was in the room, and she had no idea where it led to, nor did she want to know.  
Strong gloved hands gripped her wrists and pulled her up. He was looking sternly at her. "Now Sarah. Enough of this foolishness. If you are going to jump around in my rooms then please watch your step."  
"I was watching my step," Sarah said, glaring at him as she turned and walked again towards the nearest door.  
He sighed and watched as she opened the door. It lead to the same place as the hole in the middle of the room.  
"Come here Sarah," he said quietly.  
She turned and looked at him. "Why?"  
He just held out his hand.  
"Are you going to finally help me, or just stand there asking questions?" Sarah asked, hands on her hips.  
He smiled and continued to hold out his hand.  
She cursed under her breath and turned away from him, walking through the door.  
She ended up falling down in a room with pieces of stone cut out to form puzzle pieces. Suddenly she found herself nestled in Jareths arms. He smiled at her.  
"Ah. There you are. It took you longer to get here than I thought. Now then...are you ready to go back to the castle?"  
"You said no tricks, on your honor," Sarah said, angrily, struggling to get out of his arms.  
He didn't let go. "I didn't trick you. You did this on your own...or would you rather continue to fall he asked glancing down. As it was, they were floating in mid air and there was no bottom that she could see. "You would be falling for quite some time."  
Sarah glanced down, immediately stopping her struggling. "Get me out of here please," she whispered, not taking her eyes from the bottomless pit over which she was floating.  
In a flash they were back in his office. He nudged the door to the escher room closed with his foot and looked down at her, still trembling in his arms.  
"If you wanted to see the caste you could have asked me," he said quietly.  
"I thought you would be busy, and I merely wanted to look around."  
"I see. You missed dinner. Your friends are worried." He was quiet for a moment. "You scared the crap out of me too."  
"Why?" Sarah asked in confusion, looking up at him.  
"Because," he said simply. "You've been gone for almost two days now. I thought you left...and you did...sort of."  
"Two days," she repeated in a whisper. "But, I was only in there for a few minutes."  
He laughed. "That's what you think. This isn't your world any more dear Sarah. You must be careful."  
"Please put me down," she murmured, realizing she was still in his arms.  
He did and stood looking at her. "Your friends are waiting for you in your room. You probably want to see them."  
Sarah nodded and turned, still trembling slightly at the realization that ten minutes to her had been two days.  
Jareth watched her leave the room before slumping down at his desk, his nerves frayed. He hadn't slept in nearly two days. He was so tired and his mind felt numb. He stumbled into his bedroom and curled up in the middle of his bed and slept.  



	7. The Sleepless Nights

By the time she reached her room, Sarah was feeling a little better. Opening the room, she grinned when she saw Sir Didymus, Ambrosius, Ludo, and Hoggle.  
Ludo grinned and gave her a hug. Ambrosius barked while Sir Didymus bowed and Hoggle waved shyly. Then all three of them began to ask her where she had gone and if she was ok while Ambrosius lay down to take a nap.  
Sarah sat down and told them that she had been exploring the castle and had accidentally wound up in the Escher room. "I finally called for Jareth and instead of helping me he just taunted me until I finally stumbled into a room with no floor. I fell into his arms and then he transported me back to his office."  
While Ludo stared hard at her, trying to understand her words, Sir Didymus complimented her on her courage and Hoggle mumbled something about Jareth showing off.  
"Okay, Sir Didymus, will you please tell me what's changed? You said you would tell me later," Sarah said, looking at the knight.  
He nodded.  
"It all started when you left. Our king decided to re-decorate the castle, add gardens and such. The young goblins were sent to school. The older ones work at the farms or around the city-"  
"In short," Hoggle interrupted. "Jareth lost his head. I don't think he found it yet either."  
Ludo chose that moment to speak up. "Ludo take cawe of big twees and little flowews."  
Sir Didymus and Hoggle began to argue about whether or not they should pay respect to Jareth and Ambrosius snuffled.  
"Okay, hold it," Sarah said loudly, waiting until everyone fell silent before speaking again. "Do any of you know why Jareth left and went to my world to find me?"  
They all looked at each other and Hoggle raised an eyebrow.  
"Aint it sort ah obvious?"  
Sir Didymus stuttered.  
"Ludo thinks Jaweth wants to give Sawah a hug."  
Sarah paled and then looked at the three of them. "That's impossible," she whispered.  
They looked back at her confused.  
"Jaweth can hug Sawah," Ludo said after a long pause.  
Hoggle rolled his eyes and Didymus continued to stutter.  
"Why would he have taken Toby, why did he make the Labyrinth harder, why did he mock me a few minutes ago in the Escher chamber instead of just helping me? All that seems to contradict what you've said," Sarah murmured, drawing her knees to her chest.  
Sir Didymus sat thinking very hard.  
"Well what you be say'n is contradict'n what we been see'n." Hoggle said.  
"Jaweth's haiw is nice." Ludo said nodding.  
Sarah glanced at Ludo for a moment, before looking at Hoggle. "And what do you see?" she asked him.  
Hoggle puffed up. "Well he's ok by me, when he's not pitching a fit that is. He can be really whiny you know?"  
Sarah looked at him incredulously. "You said that what I spoke of contradicted what you saw. That's what I was asking about."  
Hoggle shrugged and limped around the room. "Well he don't taunt us. Why should he taunt you?" He thought for a moment then grinned. "Then again, you have heard what they say when little boy pick on girls? It mean that they-"  
"Jaweth wead to Ludo," Ludo said, trying to help.  
Sarah sat silently, wondering if screaming would do any good. Probably not, and they were her friends, even if they weren't being terribly helpful.  
There was a knock on the door. Hoggle went to answer it and found a short goblin in a dress and bonnet.  
"Dinner is ready for ye's," it said before turning and walking away.  
"Ludo hungwy."  
"I'm not very hungry, give my regrets," Sarah murmured as they stood.  
Sir Didymus looked confused as everyone else exited the room.  
"Give your regrets to who my lady?"  
"You don't eat with Jareth?"  
He shook his head, his whisker twitching. "He eats in his rooms."  
"Oh, then never mind. I'll see you later," Sarah murmured as Sir Didymus bowed and left, Ambrosius trotting behind him.  
Sarah made her way over to the bathroom, filling the sunken tub with water and bubbles. She ran a brush through her hair before stripping and climbing into the tub.  
Was what the three had said, true? It couldn't be, could it? Sarah lay looking at the ceiling as she thought about what they had said.  
She finally stood and dried off, looking around in confusion as she realized her clothes had vanished. Annoyed, she wrapped a towel around her and went into her bedroom to look through the wardrobe, hoping no one was in the room.  
Jareth stood looking at the books on the shelves. He heard Sarah come out of the bathroom and smiled but didn't turn around.  
"You aren't hungry Sarah?"  
Sarah jumped a foot and clutched the towel to her. "No, not hungry, nope," she said quickly, moving back towards the bathroom door.  
"I'm not looking," he said while chuckling. "Honestly Sarah, I have more decency than that!"  
She glared at his back, then moved towards the wardrobe, opening it and grimacing at the clothing inside.  
"Could you kindly get me some real clothing?" she asked, hoping he was still looking the other way.  
He threw a crystal over his shoulder and where it landed on the floor sat a pair of folded jeans, white socks, a white flowing silk shirt, and underthings.  
Sarah carefully bent down and grabbed the clothing walking back to the bathroom and shutting the door.  
Jareth chucked to himself and changed all the clothing in the wardrobes to more simple attire. Perhaps now she would be satisfied. He was still tired but when Hoggle had knocked on the door telling him that Sarah was still shaky and wasn't going to eat he decided to pay her a visit.  
Sarah walked into the bedroom, her damp hair sticking to the shirt. She looked at Jareth as he examined the books. "You can turn around now."  
He did, slowly and looked at her, struggling to stay upright. He leaned up against the bookshelf, taking some off the weight off his feet.  
"Are you all right Sarah?"  
"I'm fine, why do you ask?"  
He shrugged and stepped forward off the bookshelf. "I was just wondering why you passed up a meal with your friends."  
"I just didn't feel like eating. Are you all right?" she asked, stepping towards him.  
He couldn't help himself. "Oh now why the concern?"  
"My apologies for asking, it won't happen again," she replied coolly.  
Jareth sighed. "I apologize. I didn't come here to fight with you. Thank you for your concern but I'm fine...if a little tired."  
"If you're so tired, then why are you in here?"  
His cheeks darkened again. "I thought you might be curled up in a ball shaking. You seemed pretty scared when you left."  
"Well as you can see I'm fine."  
Jareth nodded and started towards the door. "Then if you will excuse me. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight Sarah."  
"Night," Sarah murmured, watching him. "Oh, Jareth?" she asked as he opened the door.  
He looked back, his eyes dull.  
"Yes?"  
"Where can I go to get something to eat?"  
He smiled and rolled a crystal across the floor to her.  
"Touch that and you will join your friends in there meal."  
He turned and walked from the room, closing the door quietly behind him.  
"Thank you," she called out, kneeling down and picking up the crystal.  
Jareth lay sprawled out on his bed staring upward at nothing. His body cried out for sleep but he didn't want to. She had actually seemed pleased with him this afternoon. Maybe she still liked him? A thought struck him and he smiled. He would try it in the morning.  
Sarah found herself seated next to Ludo at a dining table, her head spinning slightly from the teleportation.  
Ludo, who had a piece of food stuck on his teeth patted Sarah on the head.  
"Hi Sawa."  
Sir Didymus and Hoggle stared opened mouthed at her.  
"You's got magic?" Hoggle asked.  
"No, Jareth gave me a crystal to get here," Sarah murmured, thanking a goblin as it set a plate of food in front of her.  
Hoggle raised an eyebrow.  
"And how is Jareth?"  
"Probably asleep," Sarah said as she took a hesitant bite of food.  
Hoggle nodded and continued to eat.  
Sir Didymus paused. "He was very heroic in his effort to find and rescue you my lady. He must be very very tired indeed."  
"What do you mean?" Sarah asked.  
Sir Didymus shrugged and speared a piece of meat with his fork. "He was very worried. I don't think he slept much if at all."  
"He wan awound like chicken," Ludo said.  
"Oh," Sarah murmured, taking a few more bites.  
Ambrosius barked and nuzzled her arm, asking for scraps. Ludo grinned and put down his entire plate.  
Sarah smiled and finished most of her meal, giving the rest to a semi-full Ambrosius.  
101,185,208 goblins later Jareth was still awake...and sick of counting goblins. There really weren't very interesting. He crawled out of bed, having decided to take a walk in the garden.  
"I'm going back to my room, I guess I'll see you guys later," Sarah said with a smile and a wave as she stood and left the room. Only after wandering for several minutes did she realize she had no idea where she was. She thought about calling for Jareth, but decided that he needed to sleep. Looking around for a goblin that might be able to direct her in the right direction, she wandered through the halls.  
Jareth rounded a corner and ran right into Sarah. He blinked a few times before slipping into his role again of polite host.  
"Excuse me. I didn't see you. Do you need something?"  
"My room, it seems to have disappeared," Sarah said with an embarrassed smile.  
"Would you like a crystal or may I walk you to your chambers?"  
"If I walked, then I'd know my way a little better maybe," Sarah murmured.  
He nodded and held out his arm, not quite sure if she would take it but offering the courtesy anyway.  
Sarah looked at him for a moment before lightly laying her hand on his arm.  
All the hairs on Jareth's arms stood straight up and he smiled. He put his hand over hers and led her through the halls.  
"So Sarah...how are you enjoying my labyrinth...or the castle in the center anyway?"  
"Other than I can't find my way anywhere and I was stuck for two days in a room I spent ten minutes in, it's all right," she murmured dryly.  
He laughed softly. "Perhaps tomorrow will be better."  
Sarah stayed silently and shrugged, doubtful.  
"Tomorrow I would like to show you my labyrinth."  
Sarah froze and looked at Jareth. "I've seen it," she said in a flat voice.  
He looked back at her. "It has changed Sarah. You've changed too. It won't be like it was last time."  
She didn't say anything and didn't move until he lightly tugged her hand.  
He watched her. "How can you be harmed by it if the creator is with you? Besides, you can bring your camera and take pictures."  
Nodding reluctantly, Sarah continued to walk beside him, wondering if it was worth it to find her way back to the Escher room before tomorrow.  
They reached the main staircase and he stopped. "You can find your way from here Sarah?"  
"Yes, thank you. I thought you were sleeping."  
He shrugged and stepped away from her. "I was trying but there are still too many thought in my head for me to sleep. I decided to go for a walk and I ran into you."  
"Oh, goodnight," she murmured, starting to walk up the stairs.  
"Good night Sarah. You know where my room is if you need me," he said with a smile, watching her.  
Sarah turned and looked at him for a moment, wondering if he was serious. She shrugged and made her way back to her room, climbing into the bed and quickly falling asleep.  



	8. The Hero?

Jareth found himself sitting under one of his peach trees sometime near dawn. Four peach pits were on the grass beside him. He had skipped dinner. He really should get back to his rooms and get ready for the day. He had noticed that Sarah had been quite careful around him. He wished she would just relax and stop worrying about him tossing her into the bog of eternal stench.  
He sighed, he hadn't slept. He was too busy thinking of how to get through to Sarah. Nothing had come up. He would give his efforts two more days, then he would take her back. He would create a puppet of himself to stay in that world and be David Bowie so he could remain here. He hoped he didn't he to do that...but as things were going...it looked as if he had little choice in the matter.  
He went back to his room and closed his eyes. He used his magic to make his vision spell real then dressed in a white tee-shirt, black jeans with a belt and his black boots. He grabbed his leather jacket and went to see if Sarah was awake.  
He knocked on her door and when there was no answer he stuck his head in. Sarah was curled up under the covers, still sleeping. He smiled and soon found himself sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her. He reached out and brushed a piece of hair from her face and stopped. On their own accord, his fingers traveled down her face and traced her lips.  
He sighed as memories of the ballroom floated back into his mind.  
Sarah smiled and sighed softly, still sleeping.  
Without thinking he began to sing softly and run his fingers through her hair. Waiting for her to wake up.  
Sarah knew she was dreaming when she found herself back in the bubble ballroom, dancing with Jareth as he sang "As the World Falls Down." With difficulty she woke and frowned, still hearing the song. Opening her eyes she found Jareth sitting beside her. She pulled the covers farther over her and looked up at him, waiting for an explanation.  
His eyes came back into focus and he shook his head. He pulled his hand back and stood.  
"Good morning Sarah. Did you sleep well?" He asked numbly.  
She nodded slowly, watching him. "What are you doing in here?"  
He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets.  
"I came to see if you were awake and found you sleeping. I thought I would wait till you woke up so I could say good morning."  
He nodded and quickly left the room.  
Outside her door he slumped against the wall and slid down it till his head rested on his knees. What had he been doing? Was he nuts? What did he think she would do when she woke up and found a cruel villain beside her? He must have scared her to death. He sat there, cursing himself.  
Sarah slid out of bed, slipping a pair of pants on and changing into a light blue shirt. She walked out of the bedroom and knelt beside Jareth, who didn't respond.  
"Are you all right?" she asked, lightly touching his arm.  
He jerked up and smacked his head into the wall. He hadn't heard her. After cursing in his native fae tongue he looked at her and nodded.  
"Are you sure?" Sarah asked, looking at him worriedly.  
He stood, still rubbing his aching head. "Just a bump."  
"What happened to your hair?" Sarah asked, standing and looking at his short, neatly cut hair.  
He continued to examine the lump on his head with the tips of his fingers. "I got rid of it."  
"Do you mean a spell or something?"  
He shook his head slowly. "No. No spell."  
"Why?" she asked softly.  
He glanced at her face before looking at the floor and beginning to walk.  
"I think I remember you saying that I looked something like a startled dandelion? I don't like looking like scared flowers."  
Sarah hid a smile behind her hand. "Sorry if I offended you."  
He shrugged. "Sorry if my style of dress scared you to death."  
Sarah smiled and shrugged. "I survived."  
He nodded. "I noticed. You also grew up. Is this place too fanciful for you now Sarah?"  
"I don't know, not really. It's different from what I'm used to, but I don't hate it."  
He chuckled. "You were used to it before?"  
"I pretty much lived in the fantasy novels that I read, so yeah, I guess I was used to it," Sarah said with a shrug.  
He waved his arms around. "This will soon be a fantasy novel too...if you write it."  
"I don't know if I can, I thought all of it was a dream that I had made up because I was reading one too many fantasy novels."  
He walked down the stair case with Sarah to his side. Her arm brush against his and all the hairs on his neck stood up. Did she even realize what she was doing to him? It was getting harder and harder to play the host.  
"Did you bring your camera?"  
"No, why, where are we going?" Sarah asked, shaking her head clear of her musings.  
He smiled. "I was to show you something. Do you know the secret of my labyrinth?"  
Sarah paled at the mention of the maze and shook her head.  
He rested a hand comfortingly on her shoulder. "You will know it by tonight. I think you'll be surprised."  
"Will I?" she asked quietly.  
He stopped halfway down the staircase and turned to her, his mismatched eyes staring hard into her brown ones.  
"Yes. And afterwards I hope you will see me differently than you do now. Right now I am a villain to you. Correct? Perhaps by tonight you will see me as a hero?"  
Sarah looked back at him, wondering what could change her view of him so drastically. "Maybe," she whispered.  
He nodded and started off again. "Some breakfast before we go? Or would you like to have a picnic?"  
"I never eat breakfast, so maybe a picnic would be better," Sarah said, slowly walking down the stairs after him.  
He nodded and formed a crystal and with a flip of his hand, turned it into her camera.  
He held it out her. "Ta da."  
"Thank you," Sarah replied, taking the camera and checking automatically to make sure there was film.  
He looked at her. "Please Sarah. Only use those pictures for your book?"  
Sarah looked at him for a moment. "All right, but why?"  
He cleared his throat. "I'm not big on advertisement."  
Sarah laughed softly. "No one would believe me, they'd think I was a total basket case if I showed them the pictures and tried to convince them that it was of another world. They'd lock me up and throw away the key."  
He seemed to sag with relief. He smiled and held out his hand.  
"Are you going to warp us somewhere with the crystal?" Sarah asked, resting her hand on his.  
He nodded as he gripped her hand.  
"It makes me dizzy," Sarah muttered softly, stepping closer to him.  
He thought for a moment. "Then here," he said putting his arm around her waist, pulling her up against him. "I'll hold you up."  
He spun a crystal out of air and studied her face. "Ready?"  
Sarah slowly nodded, barely breathing.  
The world swam again and they stood on a hill, overlooking the labyrinth. Jareth didn't pull away but he stared at his creation.  
"Sarah? What is the purpose of a labyrinth?"  
"To keep people away from the castle, to create a game for you to watch as people struggle through and find themselves lost, I don't know," Sarah murmured, moving a step back.  
Jareth let his arm drop as he looked over his labyrinth. "So you would say it's to keep people out? To keep them away correct?"  
"Yes, or to keep something in maybe," she said, remember the legend of the minotaur, trapped in a labyrinth.  
He grinned, still not looking away. "Very good Sarah. To keep something in is the reason this maze was built."  
"Please tell me you don't have people wander through it to reclaim children with a minotaur or some other monster running about in there?"  
He began to chuckled and then to laugh. When he finally stopped he looked at her, tears in his eyes from laughing.  
"Oh Sarah no! Of course not. I told you already. I'm not that cruel. You just see me that way."  
"That's how you portrayed yourself last time," Sarah said simply.  
He stood straight and looked at her, a smile still tugging at his lips. "I played a part for you Sarah. And I played it well. I'm sorry that it had such an impact on you."  
He was quiet for a time. "Do you know that we are in the center of the fae kingdom?"  
Sarah shook her head. "I didn't even know there was a fae kingdom."  
He grinned at her. "And what did you think I was? Human?"  
"The hair, the eye makeup, and the glitter proved that you weren't human. I just didn't know there was a kingdom."  
Jareth's lips twitched some more. "Ok. We've figured out my style of dress was bad. I fixed it. But that doesn't matter. We are in the middle of the fae kingdom...and it is my job to protect it from a spell that was cast thousands of years ago. Would you like to guess what the spell was?"  
"I know I'll never be able to guess it, so I won't even try," Sarah replied.  
He grinned at her. "The goblins."  
"Okay, you lost me, the goblins were a spell?"  
He nodded they were created by the bad guy, an insane orc, and placed in the center of the fae kingdom. They are like a virus. They destroy everything that gets in front of them...but they don't mean to. So I contained them with a spell of my own and build the labyrinth around them. They're not the smartest bunch of creatures. They haven't made it out since. My father was very proud. I was the youngest child of the family and wouldn't inherit any part of the kingdom so, whoop tee do, I get to rule over goblins. That is my job. Not to steal children."  
Sarah sat down and thought about what he said. "So then, why do you steal children? Hobby?"  
"I didn't steal children. I took away a child...upon command. I was watching you Sarah. You were such a dreamer. A fantastic person. I wanted to meet you so I put a spell on your mother to give you that book. And, as I thought, you loved it. You loved it so much that you re-lived it yourself. Don't you remember that book?"  
"Of course I remember that book. I memorized it because it was the last thing my real mother had given me before she left," Sarah murmured, looking at the Labyrinth.  
He nodded. "I thought you would wish yourself away...then I could see you. Then I could meet this dreamer named Sarah...but instead you followed the book. You wished your brother away and I was forced to play the villain. I new you would win. The only thing that I could do was to be cruel."  
"Why didn't you immediately tell me it was a hoax, instead of making me go by the book?"  
He looked down at his hands and picked at his thumbnail. "I wanted to give you something you loved. I thought you would like that. I guess I was wrong wasn't I Sarah?"  
Sarah looked up at him, slightly confused. "What did you want to give me?"  
He shrugged. "Your book. The fantasy you loved to perform. I thought that you would want to do it for real."  
"I would have loved it if my brother's life hadn't been at stake."  
He threw up his hands. "It never was! It was the story! I wouldn't take your brother! My goodness if time had run out I would have appeared to you with your brother and gave him back! It was a play! A game! A story!"  
He seemed angry and frustrated as he raked his fingers through his short fluffy blond hair.  
"I didn't know that!" she shouted back at him.  
He took a calming breath. "Now you do. So please...no more comments on stealing children. No more comments on me being a cruel heartless king. I truly did everything for you and got the cold shoulder for doing it."  
Sarah looked at him for a long while. "I'm sorry," she murmured.  
He flopped down on the hill and rubbed at his eyes. "No. I shouldn't have yelled. The lack of sleep is getting to me. Would you like to see the rest of the fae kingdom?"  
"I guess so. I'm just curious, but are you sidhe?"  
He shook his head. "I'm not so lucky. I am one fourth sidhe. But the rest of me is a kind of mix from other types. There are too many to list so please don't ask me to."  
"You look like how the sidhe are always described, that's why I asked," Sarah murmured.  
He shrugged. "Do you like unicorns Sarah?"  
"A little yes. Why?"  
"Would you like to see them?"  
Sarah smiled and nodded. "That would be great."  
He nodded, stood and held out his hand to her again, holding a crystal in the other.  
She frowned at the crystal before taking his hand and standing.  
He smiled at her. "It's either this or a four day walk."  
Sighing she nodded. "Beam me up, or down, or wherever," she muttered.  
He looked confused but did as he was told and transported them into a field of green grass dotted with thick leafed trees. All around them were beautiful horses, each with a horn on their heads. He pulled Sarah down onto the grass and leaned up against the tree.  
"They don't like to be disturbed," he whispered to her.  
Sarah smiled, entranced as she watched them. "They're beautiful."  
A black stallion trotted up to them and began snuffling loudly. Jareth stood and held out his hand to the unicorn. After sniffing him, the horse turned and trotted away. Jareth sat back down.  
"That is the packs leader. He is the strongest right now. He needed to know I was no threat."  
"I thought all unicorns were white," Sarah said quietly.  
He shook his head. "Only the ones in movies. All humans aren't white. Neither are all faes."  
"Good point," she murmured, watching the unicorns.  
After a while Jareth brought out a crystal and sat it down on the grass. It turned into a pizza and two sodas. He smiled and began to eat.  
"This really is bad for your health," Sarah murmured as she took a slice.  
He shrugged. "I'm immortal. I don't have much of a health to worry about."  
Sarah thought about it, then nodded and grabbed another slice.  
After their lunch Jareth closed his eyes to think and fell asleep. He smiled remembering the ballroom. Such a small distraction it had been. He just wanted to show her who he really was. That part was nowhere in the book. So he had added a chapter...so what?  
Sarah looked down at him and smiled softly. It had all been an act. Or, if this was all an act, he was playing the charming hero rather well.  
Jareth's eyes fluttered open and found Sarah smiling at him. He smiled back.  
"Sorry I fell asleep. I was tired," he mumbled stretching.  
"Not a problem," Sarah murmured, watching him.  
He stood and looked down at her. "Ready to go back?"  
"I guess so," she said, giving a last look at the unicorns before standing.  
He swallowed hard. This was it.  
"To your home or mine?"  
"Yours," Sarah murmured, slightly confused. All her stuff was there, and so were her friends.  
He smiled a little and held out his hand to her again. "Will you be asking anymore questions about Jareth?"  
"Yes, why are you referring to yourself in third person?"  
He grinned as he formed a crystal in his hand.  
"Well, since the Jareth you will be writing about acts differently than the Jareth I am right now...isn't it only right to speak of the character as a different person?"  
She thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Whatever."  
He reached out and rested his hand on her shoulder then transported them both back to the castle.  



	9. The Photographer

Sarah blinked as the world slowly swam into focus. "Why does that seem to get worse each time you do it?"  
He shrugged and adjusted his jacket. "Perhaps it's because your mortal?"  
"Maybe, but it's horrible," Sarah muttered.  
Jareth began walking. "Is it your stomach? Your head? Perhaps we shouldn't transport you just after you have eaten?"  
"It's my head, and it doesn't matter whether I've eaten or not, it spins a little worse each time."  
"I don't know," Sarah answered, walking to catch up with him.  
Jareth stuck his hands into his pockets. "It has been a bit hectic lately."  
Sarah shrugged, then looked around. "Where are we going?"  
He smiled over at her. "I was going to my thrown room to watch some goblin nonsense before dinner. You could join me if you like."  
Sarah thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I think I'll look around a bit."  
He nodded. "Be careful though. If anything happens call me. I'll come."  
Sarah smiled and nodded, heading back through the castles huge double doors into the goblin city.  
Goblins no higher than her waist dashed this way and that, doing whatever was on there minds at that moment. Little squat houses dotted the entire area and some goblins sat around, lazily trying to sell their wears.  
"My, this has changed," Sarah murmured, taking a few pictures and wondering if she would be able to find her way back to other parts of the labyrinth to take pictures. Still wondering, she made her way out of the gates of the city and looked at the trash heap where she could make out a few goblins making their way through the scattered junk, adding some of it to their collections on their backs.  
Sarah took a few more pictures before walking around the outside of the city's wall. Without warning the ground gave way beneath her and she let out a surprised yell as she fell through the hole. She hit the bottom and looked around in confusion.  
"Well, it's got a door so at least it isn't an oubliette," she muttered, opening the door and stepping through.  
"Vell, vhat to ve have here? Oh, it's you again, didn't you ever find your vay out?" a voice asked.  
Sarah turned around and found herself looking at the still sleeping wiseman, his hat staring curiously at her.  
"Yes, I found my way out, I just seem to have found my way back in again too."  
"In and out. Sometimes it's all the same, depending on how you look at it," the old man said.  
The hat rolled it's eyes. "Still talking crrap! Oi."  
"Well, it was nice seeing you again, but I should probably start heading back to the castle. Oh, may I take your picture?" Sarah asked, waving her camera.  
The old man nodded and the hat opened it's eyes wide and cocked it head to the side, posing.  
"Vinally! Some appreciation!"  
Sarah laughed softly and took a few pictures, waving at them as she started down a path.  
The hat looked back at the wiseman, who was now snoring softly. "Ahh vell, as I said before. It's so stimulating being your hat."  
  
Sarah set off at a leisurely pace, soon finding herself in the Fiery Forest. She sighed and started through it, hoping its inhabitants were elsewhere.  
He head rolled out of a bush.  
"Hey lady! You still got your head! You come back to chilly down wit' us?" it said.  
"Nope, just passing through," Sarah said, snapping a picture of the freemoving head.  
  
Jareth smiled as he watched Sarah through his crystal. A few goblins were gathered around him, looking over his shoulder. He pointed at Sarah.  
"What do you think?"  
The goblins yelled out there thoughts on Sarah. Not that he was listening. He was too busy watching and wondering if she would freak if he sent her a bubble. He smiled to himself and began to hum.  
  
Sarah continued to make her way through the forest, when two more fiery's jumped out in front of her.  
"Come'on! Just a little game!" they both said clapping there hands together.  
"If you try to pull my head off, I'm not going to be happy," Sarah told them, hands on her hips.  
They wilted. "Yoh hands?"  
"Sorry guys, but my body parts stay attached."  
"Den at least let us dance fo ya!"  
With that twenty or more fierys jumped out and formed a circle.  
Sarah laughed and sat down. "Sure."  
They began dancing and playing catch with each others heads and chasing after body parts. Once fiery got too close to the fire and caught his tail on fire. It was quickly put out but the now singed fiery remained seated through the rest of the game.  
Sarah watched them, taking pictures every once in a while, for about twenty minutes. Standing she looked at the pieces of fiery scattered everywhere.  
"Well, I'm going now, have fun," she called out, making sure she didn't step on anybody as she left.  
A white barn owl swooped down in front of her and landed on the ground. He hopped around to look at her and cocked it's head to the side, rearranging it's feathers.  
"Yes?" she asked, looking at Jareth.  
It puffed up and flew to her shoulder then sat there, content.  
She shook her head and looked at the owl. "What do you want?"  
A soft voice echoed around her. "Just spending time with my guest."  
Sarah spun around and found the owl gone and Jareth sitting on the branch of a tree and looking at her.  
He grinned and waved. "I thought of sending you another bubble but thought better of it."  
"Why?" she asked, walking over and leaning against the tree trunk.  
"Why not?" he asked walking around from behind the tree and smiling at her.  
Sarah jumped slightly and looked at him. "It's quite unnerving when you disappear and reappear."  
"I hate being predictable," came is voice from her other side. She spun around and found him leaning up against the tree beside her.  
"Predictable isn't really all that bad," she murmured with a smile.  
Jareth was about to speak but heard a noise that stopped him. He glanced over her shoulder and smiled.  
"Shall we be going? Your fiery friends have pulled themselves together and seem to be planning another game."  
Sarah glanced behind her, then nodded. "Sure."  
When she turned back, Jareth was gone and the white owl stood in his place. The owl flew to her shoulder and perched there.  
"Predictable can be quite nice at times," she muttered, finding a path that led through a large stone wall.  
"All right, now where, last time I was here I was up on the wall, not down below, and ended up falling into the Bog of Eternal Stench," Sarah said, looking at the owl.  
Jareth was suddenly standing behind her...quite close.  
"Let's get on top of the wall then. But let's skip the bog. It's not a fun place to be," he said softly into her ear.  
"I agree," she murmured, wondering if her shiver was from the memory of the Bog or Jareth's breath on the back of her neck.  
He nodded and created a crystal. He handed it to Sarah.  
"Here. You do the honors. Just smash it against the wall."  
Sarah looked at the crystal before throwing it against the wall, wondering what would happen.  
It struck the wall and created a rope ladder. Jareth clapped his hands. He held out his arm toward the ladder.  
"Ladies first."  
Sarah tugged at the ladder, hoping it would hold her weight. She began to slowly climb, soon reaching the top and frowning when she saw the ladder wasn't attached to anything.  
Jareth was looking over he shoulder at the ladder. "A strange magic you work Sarah."  
"Why didn't you climb the ladder?"  
He knelt down and ran his hand through the ladder. It crumbled into dust. He looked back up at her and smiled.  
"I don't get sick when I zap myself here or there."  
"Oh. So, where to from here?"  
He shrugged and stuck his hands in his jeans pockets.   
"Where ever. You lead and I'll follow."  
"But, I don't know the way back from here," Sarah protested.  
"I do. Don't worry. I won't let anything happen. Let's just walk for now all right?"  
"All right, but if I get us lost, it's your fault," she murmured, walking to her left and trusting that Jareth was following.  
She rounded a corner and almost ran into Jareth who was leaning against the wall.  
"You won't get us lost. If worst comes to worst I'll zap us back to the castle." he said smiling at her.  
Sarah frowned at him and shook her head. "Quit doing that."  
He grinned. "But I love the expression on your face. I can't help it."  
She shook her head and pressed onward, hoping she was going in the right direction. After a few minutes she found herself at a dead end and sighed, turning around to find that a wall had sprung up behind her.  
Looking around, she began to feel each wall, looking for a way out and wondering where Jareth was.  
He revealed himself a moment later by handing her a cola.  
"I thought you might be thirsty."  
"Annoyed is more like it," Sarah muttered, taking a sip of the drink and looking around at the nonmoving walls.  
Jareth looked around himself. "Hmm. Dead end. Remind me to fix that later."  
He finished his soda and dropped his glass which turned to dust at his feat and walked over to a wall. He jumped and half-flew half-jumped onto the top. He looked down at Sarah and knelt holding out his hand.  
"Come on. We'll cheat."  
Sarah shook her head and jumped, grabbing onto his outstretched hand.  
He pulled her up and into him. He struggled not to fall over the other side of the wall. When he regained his balance he took a step away from Sarah.  
"Sorry. I didn't think you would be so light."  
"What, you thought I was heavy?"  
His cheeks darkened. "I didn't say that it's just that. I thought you would be light but not that light."  
He began to study the ground.  
"You're blushing," she said with a smirk, slowly walking on the wall and trying to keep her balance.  
His face darkened more. "I am not."  
"Are too," she said, turning and calling back over her shoulder. She began to sway and put her arms out to try and steady herself.  
Immediately Jareth's arms were wrapped around her waist.  
"Careful. I don't think you would enjoy breaking something just now."  
"Please remind me not to look over my shoulder when I'm trying to balance," Sarah whispered, leaning against Jareth.  
"All right. Would you like to continue or go back to the castle for dinner?" he asked softly.  
"What time is it?" Sarah asked, slowly turning around to face him.  
"In your time...about five thirty I would guess," he said swallowing hard at her closeness.  
"How long would it take to get back to the castle without zapping there?"  
He shrugged. "Two or three hours walk."  
He noticed her eyes were moving from left to right as they looked into his own and smiled.  
She frowned and sighed. "I guess that means the crystal."  
His mind struggled to think. "Maybe it won't be so bad."  
Sarah merely raised an eyebrow and looked at him.  
"Well...we could walk part way there and sleep out here then walk the rest of the way tomorrow."  
Sarah paled at the mention of sleeping in the Labyrinth. "I'd rather not."  
He nodded and made a crystal.  
"Hold on tight."  
She took a step closer and wrapped her arms around his waist, nestling her head beneath his chin.  
A shudder went through Jareth as he zapped them into the castle. They ended up in front of her rooms with Hoggle standing a few feet away. Hoggle looked at them and raised his eyebrows in surprise. Jareth didn't notice him and lay his cheek down on Sarah's head.  
"How do you feel? Ok?"  
"A little dizzy," she murmured, slowly taking a step back.  
He shoved his hands into his pockets, his eyes still closed.  
"Would you join me for dinner?"  
"Yes, I'll try not to get stuck in an Escher room this time," Sarah said softly.  
He nodded and brought his hand out of his pocket. It contained a crystal. He looked up at her, smiled and disagreed.  
Shaking her head, Sarah turned and found Hoggle looking at her. "Hi Hoggle."  
He waved grinning at her.  
"So. Yous and the King are getting along now are ya?"  
"Yeah, you could say that," Sarah said, smiling as she walked into her room.  
Hoggle followed.  
"What you do today?"  
"Wandered around the Labyrinth after Jareth took me to see the unicorns."  
Hoggles jaw dropped. "He took you to see 'em? You sure got his attention you did!"  
"What do you mean?" Sarah asked, setting her camera on top of her backpack before sitting down.  
"That's not even in his kingdom! He hasn't gone out of his Kingdom since ya left...'sept up to your world o'course."  
"I thought it was part of the fae kingdom, just like here is."  
"It is but it's his brothers part," Hoggle explained.  
"Oh, do his other brothers rule something also?"  
Hoggle nodded. "His father split the kingdom into four parts but since Jareth was the youngest he got this little realm in the center of the four."  
"That makes sense I guess," Sarah murmured.  
Hoggle chuckled to himself. I should go 'elp out with dinner. You get ready for Jareth."  
"All right," Sarah said softly, watching as Hoggle left the room. Standing, she walked over to the wardrobe and wondered what to wear.  
Jareth was having a time of his own. He had no clue what to wear. What would she like? A smile crept across his face... He had an idea.  
Sarah finally grabbed a dress and went into the bathroom to see what she could do with her hair.  



	10. The Dinner

Jareth walked to Sarah's room, wondering if she was ready. He adjusted the sleeves on his white poets shirt and looked down at his boots to make sure they weren't scuffed. He straightened his belt buckle and dusted off his pants. After a few breaths he knocked on the door.  
"Come in, I'll be out in just a minute," Sarah called from the bathroom.  
He walked in and looked at himself in her mirror. There hadn't been much he could do for his hair. It was short. But at least he didn't look like a scared flower...or whatever. He sat on her window sill and stared our her window, twirling three crystals in one hand and three in the other.  
Sarah stepped out, brushing a curl from her face, and smiled. "Please tell me we aren't going to be using all those."  
Jareth looked up at her and his hands fumbled sending crystals rolling across the floor. He stared at her and shook his head.  
"Uh...no. No, I was just thinking."  
Sarah smiled and knelt down to pick up two of the crystals that had rolled to her feet. The black dress barely came to her knees and a slightly metallic thread that ran through it made the dress shimmer. She walked over to Jareth and held out the crystals, her shoulders pale against the small straps of the dress.  
He took the two crystals from her, made the others disappear and then turned one of the remaining crystals into a silver bracelet. He held it out to her while holding the last crystal in his hand.  
"I see you have been poking through your wardrobe. You look lovely," He said in his cultured voice.  
Sarah smiled as she slipped the bracelet on her wrist, moving her arm and making the bracelet shimmer in the light.  
"Thank you," she said, looking at Jareth.  
He nodded and stood.  
"I thought that maybe we could eat in the garden. It's rather nice since Ludo has been keeping watch on it."  
"That sounds nice," Sarah answered, looking at him. "You look good."  
He glanced down at himself. "Yes well, everything else sparkled."  
Sarah laughed softly. "Well, shall we go to the gardens?"  
He nodded and threw the last crystal against the wall. A door appeared and he opened it for her, revealing the gardens. This was perticulary strange because they were on the third floor. He smiled at her.  
"I don't feel like walking and you get sick if we zap so...this is the best I could think of."  
Sarah smiled and walked through the door into the garden and looked up, at the third story.  
The moment Jareth walked through the door it dissapeared and left them outside.  
"Predictable is good," Sarah murmured again to herself, looking around the garden.  
Jareth guided her over to a table with a white table cloth spread over it. On the table was two candles, two plates and settings and one covered dish. He pulled out a chair for Sarah and waited for her to be seated.  
"Thank you," she said softly as she sat and he pushed her chair in.  
He walked over to his seat and leaned against the back.  
"What do you feel like eating tonight?" he asked with a mischievous grin.  
"I don't know, whatever you like I guess," she said, wondering what was currently under the covered dish.  
He held up another crystal. "If you leave it up to me it will be pizza and cola again."  
"Please, no more pizza. How about chicken?"  
He smiled and lifted the cover to the platter revealing an empty plate. He put the crystal in the center of the plate and put the lid down again. He created another crystal and, after rolling it to the other hand, it turned into a wine bottle.  
"Wine?"  
"A little please," she murmured, shaking her head as two wine glasses appeared.  
He filled both glasses and set the wine bottle down. He lifted the lid to the platter, showing off the still steaming chicken surounded with vegitables. He looked at the cover to the platter and threw it over his shoulder where it dissapeared then rubbed his hands together.  
"I hope after a while I can still remember what's normal and what isn't. The disappearing tricks are starting to look mundane," Sarah said with a smile as Jareth served her.  
He gave her his best smirk. "I only do it because I'm to lazy to do it for myself."  
"I'll believe it," she answered, smiling sweetly.  
He grinned and began to heap food onto his own plate. "Well, being king will do that to you. Being kind with magical powers with always do that to you. You should be my father though. Compaired to him I'm a busy body."  
"What are smirking about?" Sarah asked after a few minutes of eating.  
He looked up, his smirk turning into a grin. "What? I can't smirk freely? Do I have to be smirking about something?"  
"Most people smile for no reason, but with smirking, a person always has to have a reason."  
He batted his eyes at her. "Little innocent me?"  
"Come on, please tell me what you were smirking about?"  
"You'll know before you go to sleep. Oh...that reminds me...am I still a vilian in your eyes?"  
"Now, would I be eating dinner and joking with a villain?"  
Jareth chewed on the end of his fork for a moment. "Now if I said yes then I would get kicked...so...I will say no and keep safe," he mumbled softly to himself but so Sarah could hear then looked at her and said. "No you wouldn't."  
"Correct," she answered, taking a bite of chicken. "This is good."  
He nodded and chewed on a bite. "I meant for it to be. I wouldn't serve you un-edible food."  
"I hope not," Sarah said with a smile, taking a sip of wine.  
He took another bite. "Except for that one time. But I won't do that again."  
"Your word?" Sarah asked.  
He looked up at her. "Of course. Unless for some strange reason you want it. But no...I won't do it again."  
"Thank you," she said softly, taking another bite of chicken.  
He turned sideways in his chair and lay a leg over the arm.  
"How's Toby Sarah?"  
"He's good, he just turned eight a few weeks ago."  
Jareth smiled, remembering how little Toby was. "He's a good child still yes?"  
Sarah nodded and smiled. "He's a pretty good kid."  
He nodded, satified and lay down is fork. He leaned back in his chair, looking very comfortable, and sipped at his wine.  
Sarah soon finished her dinner and sat looking at the stars.  
He sat watching her for what seemed like forever before standing.  
"How about a short walk?"  
"That sounds nice," Sarah said, finishing the little wine left in her glass before standing.  
They walked for a few minutes, Jareth twirling and rolling a crystal from one hand to the other. He looked over at her and smiled. Did she ever think back on that dance? Did she regret leaving it so quickly? Had she pushed it from her mind? He stopped and faced her on the narrow path that was leading them through his gardens and held out the crystal to her, not speaking.  
Sarah looked at Jareth for a moment before slowly taking the crystal from him.  
Nothing happened.  
He smiled. Nothing would happen till he wanted it to.  
"Would you Like to dance with me Sarah? Would you like the chance to re-live a dream?"  
He took a step forward, waiting for her answer.  
She looked into his mismatched eyes and slowly nodded.  
He smirked again and covered the crystal with his own hand. In a flash they both stood in the crystal ballroom. He looked around and nodded. Nothing much had changed. He had had to fix the hole she had smashed into it but other than that everything looked like normal...except they were the only ones there. Music started playing someplace and he bowed to her.  
"May I?"  
Sarah smiled and curtsied as the dizziness faded.  
They began to dance and he began to sing. Strangely he seemed to sing for several different people. She was sure magic was involved but it still sounded quite nice.  
There's such a sad love  
Deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel  
Open and closed within your eyes  
I'll place the sky within your eyes  
  
There's such a fooled heart  
Beating so fast in search of new dreams  
A love that will last within your heart  
I'll place the moon within your heart  
  
As the pain sweeps through  
Makes no sense for you  
Every thrill has gone  
Wasn't too much fun at all  
But I'll be there for you-oo-oo  
As the world falls down  
  
He smiled as they twirled around the floor. He was glad she wasn't afraid of him any longer.  
  
I'll paint you mornings of gold  
I'll spin you Valentine evenings  
Though we're strangers till now  
We're choosing the path between the stars  
I'll leave my love between the stars  
This was indeed much better than before. He smiled grinned into her eyes. She smiled back.  
  
Makes no sense at all  
Makes no sense to fall  
Falling  
As the world falls down  
Falling  
  
"His voice continued to echo off of the walls as the music faded. He new that the right thing to do would be do take a step back and bow but he couldn't make his body do it.  
"We need more music," Sarah whispered, smiling up at him.  
He grinned and music began to play again.  
"How are you enjoying yourself Sarah? Is it better than last time?"  
"Much better," Sarah murmured softly, stepping closer to him and nestling her head beneath his chin.  
He shuddered again. And let his cheek rest on her head. "So did Hoggle have anything smart to say?"  
He laughed softly. "I'll bet he's told everyone that we were hugging. I wonder how far fetched the rumors will get."  
"Probably quite far," Sarah whispered, rubbing her cheek against his collarbone.  
Jareth smiled, very glad he had chosen to wear the open poets shirt tonight. He was sure he had that shirt for some other purpose that to look good. This was one of them.  
They continued to dance slowly until the music faded away. Sarah pulled her head back and smiled up at him.  
He looked down at her, having trouble keeping his eyes focused. He could have fallen asleep on his feet. He had never been this relaxed.  
"Ready to go back?" he asked quietly.  
Sarah sighed, then slowly nodded, nestling her head back beneath his chin and wrapping her arms around his neck.  
He quickly made a crystal and zapped them into Sarah's room. He slowly stepped away and bowed.  
"Goodnight Sarah."  
"Goodnight Jareth, and thank you for tonight," she said softly, watching him.  
He smiled and took her hand in his, giving it a light kiss before standing and beginning to walk away.  
She slowly sank onto one of the chairs, unable to take her eyes from him.  
He looked back over his shoulder before walking out the door and shutting it softly behind him.  
  
Jareth sat in his bathtub, watching as his rubber ducky swam among the white fluffy bubbles. He laced his fingers behind his head and smiled. She liked him. He would have to wear that shirt more often. He leaned back and closed his eyes, smiling at the memories of the day.  
Sarah took a quick bath and put on one of the nightgowns she had found in the wardrobe before lying down. Unable to sleep, she looked at the ceiling and though about the day.  
As Jareth pulled himself out of his tub and rescued his rubber ducky from the whirlpool of water he wondered why he hadn't kissed her. He guessed he could go back and give her a kiss but what if she was already asleep? That would make it easier then wouldn't it? He smiled, his mind made up. After slipping into a pair of white silk pajama bottoms he slipped out of his rooms, headed for Sarah's.  
Sarah heard the door open, but her kept her eyes closed, feigning sleep. She hoped Jareth wouldn't notice her heart beating quickly.  
Jareth quietly crept across her floor and sat on the edge of her bed. He looked down at her and smiled. Reaching out, he traced her jawbone with his fingertips then across her lips and stopped. His breath stopped in his throat as he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. He meant to stop there but failed miserably and continued to kiss her.  
Sarah smiled against his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his.  
Jareth tensed. She was awake! Oh no... His mind soon calmed again however when she began to kiss him back. He slipped his hands under her to her back and held her against him, his mind spinning violently.  
Sarah finally pulled back from the kiss and leaned her cheek against his, her breath coming quickly.  
Jareth swallowed.  
"I couldn't sleep," he said lamely  
"Neither could I," Sarah whispered, smiling and rubbing her cheek against his.  
He took a deep breath and smiled. She smelled very good. "My stomach feels like it's full of butterflies"  
"Mine too," she murmured, kissing his temple and cheek.  
He shuddered and began to lay soft kisses along her throat.  
Sighing softly, she sat up and tilted her head to the side.  
He grinned and continued on to her shoulder, letting his hands travel to her hair.  
"I really should get to bed," he mumbled against her skin.  
"But you aren't moving," Sarah said, running her hands down his back.  
He rested his forehead against her shoulder. "It's hard to move away at the moment."  
She smiled and put her hand beneath his chin, bringing his head up. Closing her eyes, she pressed her lips against his in a slow kiss.  
Jareth found himself moaning softly against her lips. In a way he was quite happy how this worked out. He wouldn't have been able to do this seven years ago.  
Sarah ran her fingers through his hair and wrapped them around his neck, keeping her lips securely fastened to his.  
Suddenly Jareth began to laugh. He had to pull away to breath.  
"I wonder how many of those rumors are true now," he said still trying to stop from laughing.  
"Probably quite a few," Sarah murmured with a chuckle.  
He ran his fingers over the features of her face. "I think this has been a good day. I kept all my words and still managed to have a good time."  
Sarah smiled at him and let her cheek rest against his hand.  
He took a shaky breath and stood. "You should get some sleep. It's been a long day."  
Slowly nodding, she looked up at him and smiled. "Don't I get a kiss goodnight?" she asked with a grin.  
He grinned his cocky kings grin and pushed her down onto the bed. He covered her with her covers, trapping her arms and gave her a long, slow and hot kiss. After a minute or so he pulled away and kissed her forehead then straightened and backed away from the bed.  
"Goodnight," she said softly, watching as he made his way to the door.  
He disappeared through the door and leaned up against the other side, grinning from ear to ear. That had been a good idea.  
Sarah sighed as she looked at the ceiling, staring at it for a long time before she fell asleep.  



End file.
